Poison Ivy festers
by Heaven O. Waits
Summary: Characters owned by D.C.  A continuation of Island Dreams, a Batman Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle Catwoman series. Poison Ivy travels to her childhood home not for nostalgia but for REVENGE!  Follow up is Community Archive Psycho Circus,and With This Ring.
1. Chapter 1

Ivy hurries out of the loft and jumps in the car slinging her folders in the back seat. She speeds checking the mirror occasionally and mumbles.

She takes a exit ramp and heads down a one lane out into the more rural part of Gotham. A sign up ahead says Trinity 5 miles. Ivy passes through their one red light of a downtown and takes another right and heads out onto a two lane road whose sign says Trillium Lane. She follows the cracked old black top until she sees an old rusty mailbox that has the faint letters Isley legible.

She turns into the long graveled drive and an old farmhouse emerges in the distance surrounded be a canopy of large trees. A tire swings sways under a tall and mighty oak as she passes. The huge two story house has a huge wrap around deck and large windows. The deck is lined with withered baskets of plants and a swing chair sits empty as Ivy eyes her child hood home. The paint has faded and a bird's nest now rests on one pillar .She pulls past the house and stops around back by a huge wooden barn and gets out.

Ivy turns back toward the house. The side window is for the kitchen. She looks to see her mother's face as usual washing dishes and baking there. All she sees is a dusty curtain. The sun is starting to fade. She hangs her head in sorrow and opens one large wood door. The barn is cool and smells of musty hay. A owl flutters from the top loft alarmed to have a visitor.

She walks to the far corner and flits her hand past a few cobwebs over a tarp. She pulls it off and eyes the old four-wheeler. She goes to the wall and grabs a set of keys and starts it up.  
Ivy heads down an old deer trail behind the Isley's home. She splashes across a creek bed and revs it up the bank turning left toward a thicket of rhododendron. She bends down under their branches and parks the 4 x 4.

She heads out across a meadow side-stepping each tiny flower. Each flower blows in the wind and seems to turn their faces to watch as she glides softly over their heads. She walks to the bluff and stops. Straight ahead across the lea is a monster sized tree-house . It's roof is thatched and its sides adorned with tiny twisted willow branches. Ivy hugs the trees base and grabs the ropes to a square wooden platform held by pulleys. She climbs aboard and pulls while concrete blocks slide simultaneously down as she heads up. She crawls out holding her folders and steps on the wood beams from the barn that her father had not needed and opens the door to her sanctum.

She is surrounded by drawings on the wall of individual plants all detailed and dated when she was a child. Vines of yellow jessamine twine inside the tiny hand made shutters from wood reeds. They move in the wind as she walks toward a tiny desk lined with jars _Aconitum_, _wolfsbane, Indian licorice, autumn crocus, bleeding heart,_,_black nightshade, doll's eyes, blacksnake root and Ivy berries._

Ivy sits down as her solar light begin to glow inside the tree house. She shuts the shutters and settles in to study her botany. A tiny firefly dances around her face like a fairy trying to distract her to no avail. In the distance an owl makes a haunting scream and Ivy's pout turns into a wicked and evil grin.

****To be continued in Community Archive Psycho Circus****


	2. Chapter 2

**** In Capri, Italy**** Ivy and Harley change and quickly exit off the veranda. Ivy explains on their way that she has been keeping a secret.  
"what is it Ivy? You can trust me." Harley begs.  
"It's a long story and one that I don't have time to tell right now but there is someone that we are going to meet. Someone I have a feeling you may take a liking to."  
"Me? Why would I like this person?"  
"You'll see!" Ivy says grabbing her hand and turning down a narrow path that ends up on the edge of the pilazzo.  
They head to the pilazzo then past the church and onto a side street that takes them to the orchard.  
They walk through the grove maze of lemon trees and stop looking at an old stone house. It's old wooden door is ajar and a light is on inside.  
Ivy knocks on the door loudly and peers in. She pauses now and turns to Harley.  
"Listen this may not be easy for you so I suggest you hold onto me."  
"Hold on? why? "  
"Do it now!" Ivy says.  
Harley places her hand on her shoulder just in time to catch herself as she begins to fall to the ground.  
The man standing at the door is the Joker.  
Ivy grabs her around the waist and fans her face as she slides back and forth from consciousness.  
"Hello. Is she alright?" the man asks.  
"Guiseppe do you have a chair we can sit her in?"  
"Si Singnorina."  
Harley comes to as the Guiseppe gently carries her to a chair and sets her down touching her face.  
"Puddin? Puddin is that you?"she says smiling.  
"No..noooo Guiseppe Signorina Guispeppe." the man implores.  
Ivy begins to talk to the man about the Joker explaining how he had set her , Catwoman and Harley up for his crimes. She then told him about Goliath and how trough trace evidence found that is here ...in Italy. The man begins to panic and begs to leave. Ivy translates as he explains that his brother will kill him. "He says that as a child his own twin had tried to kill him." He grabs his own neck and sticks out his tongue. Harley starts to sob again and he hugs her tight rocking her back and forth.  
Ivy translates again "He says at first he thought they were just playing but as more time went on he realized that his brother was watching him, plotting, waiting for him to be alone. He would push him, he would shove, he would wait until he was sleeping and place a pillow over his face. He would try to shove him down staircases, burn him with hot water in the bath, shove him out their bedroom window, lock him into a closet for hours laughing at the other side of the door...anything to hurt him. He explains his parents wouldn't listen until he began to target them as well." The man now gets teary eyed.  
"It was no car accident. The brake lines were cut and the doors jammed. They had tried to escape but were burned alive!"  
Harley put her hand over her face and starts crying. The two now hold eachother tight.  
Ivy slowly explains to him how Harley got involved and that she loved him.  
The man nods his head a big no and says "Joey is a bad man, very BAD over and over, looking at Harley and in broken english says"shhh shhhhhh do not sad noooo sad please."  
Harley looks at him. He is the carbon copy of her Joker. He makes her heart ache. She can hardly look at him. "Please Signorina noooo sad...please!"  
He kisses her hand.  
Harley slowly stops sobbing staring at him.  
He pats her hand inside his own and they begin to smile and laugh.  
He tilts his head back as she starts to giggle.  
They begin to laugh together.  
Ivy stares down at the two with a peculiar feeling. They seem a reflection of the past. They seem to be the old Harley and Joker. It was an eery sight for her to watch. She quickly broke up the moment.  
"We need to move fast. The Batman may already be in danger. He is here searching for the Joker and now he is missing!" "Noooo Oh no! Joey bad Joey DEMON" he moans. " Do you know where he would stay in Capri?" Ivy asks.  
He nods his head and says slowly "si ."


	3. Chapter 3

Ivy asks Guiseppe to sit down and listen to what she must tell him.  
"It's about your brother, and your parents."  
Guiseppe sits on an old wooden chair that squeaks as he sits down and fidgets with what to do with his hands. He eventually rests and leans his hand on the old worn table.  
"Your parents are not your biological parents. You and Joeseph, Joey were adopted. Some time early on you, Guiseppe were adopted out and your records were lost. I believe it was due to the fact that one of the women who still works there wanted to protect you and you were adopted out of country. This made it easy for her to simply lose the records."  
"What? No!"  
"Yes. Your biological parents are still alive and both incarcerated. Somehow your brother escaped the orphange years later and located them. They worked in a circus. Your mother's stage name is Euryale and your father took the name The Dark Jinnh. They have strange powers, and your father is a famous performer of not just theatrics but for mind-reading. Euryale is an enchantress and known as a seductive snake charmer. Your parents would lure people into their tents then seduce, mesmerize and taunt them out of their belongings. Most were unaware that they had been pick-pocketed, robbed of jewels,even fondled. They got more maniacal and eventually began to kill. A killing spree was linked to them when a under-cover policemen was murdered . Your parents are deadly if not as deadly as your brother. The apple never falls far from the tree. Guiseppe rubs his temples and scratches at his head in bewilderment.  
" I am glad that you were rescued from that kind of life and that your foster parents adopted you. I am sorry that they too fell under the Joker's wrath." Harley reaches over the table and takes his hand.  
"We now must put an end to all the chaos he has done!"  
Harley now clinches her hand tighter around Guiseppe's and begins to sob.**"Agreed?"  
They both nod slowly.  
Guiseppe says softly "This is for Mommah and Pappah!" **


	4. Chapter 4

They head into town. The city streets are now lined with people in elaborate costumes dancing, drinking and singing. Tamborines clang in the air as men wave and clap their hands watching women begin an odd dance . Women spin, flaying their arms and legs. Their eyes seemed glazed as they jerk and spin. I wave my hand near one's face.  
"Hello?"  
The women doesn't appear to see me but keeps on gyrating in jerking motions. We stop and set our back packs.  
"What is going on?" I ask Guiseppe.  
" Autumn Tarentella Festival." Guiseppe says.  
"People wear masks and colorful outfits. It was believed that the taranto a poisonous spider was infecting the people . Exorcisms and other rituals date back to 2000 b.c. with Dionysus and Apollo in Greece. Later it traveled to Italy. It was believed that the spider curse could be broken through dance and merriment." "Ahh Tarentella...yes...tarentulla spider.. I never knew of the curse." Ivy says.  
"Looks fun!" Harley says skipping up and dancing beside the zombie chick.  
(It is like a fat tuesday in Bourbon Street.)  
"I have an outfit of my own!" Ivy says to Harley with a impish smirk.  
"Ohhh I do too!" Harley says bursting into giggles.  
Ivy gets a text from Selina to check out the Villa San Michelle for Batman and to pay close attention to the Sphinx parapet.  
I slowly grab our bags and watch the two standing side be side.  
Guiseppe slides his hand out for Harley and spins her around.  
Harley begins to twirl in circles under his fingertips tilting her head back laughing.  
Ivy waves them over"I hate to interrupt guys but we need to go by the Villa San Michelle."  
The trio wait for almost a half hour for a cab to drop off a group of drunk tourists.  
The taxi dodge people filling the streets and heads to the Villa San Michelle in Ana Capri. At the same moment Wildcat, Catwoman and Alfred set sail for their 17 nautical miles to Naples.  
They arrive at the Villa. A tour guide boasts about the building and grounds as they stroll through admiring the electic antiquities of Axel Munthe.  
They look through the entire house but don't see the Sphinx.  
"Where is the Sphinx?" Harley interupts.  
An older woman points to the outside garden. The trio sneak apart from the tour and walk toward the corner. A giant stone carving sits on the corner facing the sea. The stone sculpture granite body sparkles in the sun. The old guardian is worn from weather and age but its body shape is still visible. "Sorrento." Guiseppe points out in the direction the old relic is staring.  
They lean over the huge concrete wall and spot the famed Phoenician steps.  
The older lady appears now and whispers of the legend.  
"You must rub the hind quarters of the Great Sphinx with your left hand while making your wish. It must be pure .The Sphinx is choosey on whom it grants its blessing. Many lovers or those seeking love come here and are blessed." she turns and walks toward a man and slides her arm into his. "I was blessed." she said and eyes her lover as they turn and re-enter the Villa.  
Ivy watches as Guiseppe lays his hand gently on its hind leg and closes his eyes. Harley places her hand upon his.  
Ivy watches as the two stand leaning on eachother. (Could these two be falling for eachother?)  
She looks around for any signs of Batman.  
(What would he be doing here?)  
"Oh what the heck." Ivy mutters and rubs the mighty Sphinx with her left hand when Harley and Guiseppe are busy looking out toward Sorrento and makes a wish.


	5. Chapter 5

Ivy touches the great Spinx and closes her eyes. She gently rubs the guardian's hind leg and opens her eyes. She gazes off the top of the marble statue toward Sorrento and sees large black clouds heading their way. The wind picks up and begins to stir through the Crepe Myrtle's tendrils on the cliff walls. She jumps at the sound of laughter. It sounds like the Joker. She spins around to see if he is behind her but only views the flower gardens and pebble pathways. She turns around again and sees Harley and Guiseppe leaning over the ledge.  
"Did you hear that?" Ivy asks "What?" Harley asks.  
"That laugh?"  
"What laugh?" she asks.  
"Never mind. Must have been the wind. Think a storm is coming."  
She looks at Guiseppe. She pictures him now with grease paint and lipstick. She imagines his neatly cut hair now unkept and green. She eyes his nose, his brow even his hands and feet. He is his brother's twin. She thinks back to research she did on twins. She recalls Romulus and Remus.  
Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. They were the sons of the God of Mars and the vestal virgin Rhea Silvia. The goddess Vestal would appoint 6 vestal virgins. Usually 18 were brought into her temple but there was always only 6 granted title. These woman were pure and chaste. Rhea was appointed one of the 6. She claimed later that she was asleep in the forest when Mars seduced her. When Mars heard that she had bore him two sons he sent a servent to murder his offspring. The servant took pity on the two baby boys and set them adrift off the banks for the Tiber River. The babies managed to make it ashore where they would have perished it had not been for a she-wolf who rescued them. She had just lost her cubs and was forlorn. She suckled the boys and the raised them as wolves. Later the savage boys were found be a man named Faustulus . He and his wife Larentia raised the two boys until the rivalry became too much to bear.  
Romulus grew envious of his brother and eventually killed him.  
A chill goes straight through her body and she begins to shiver.  
"Are you alright?" Harley asks walking toward her.  
"I just though of something is all. I am okay." Ivy says softly.  
"Guiseppe there is nothing for us here. Where did you say Joey may go ?"  
"Ahhh Quisisana. It is beside the Piazetta. It was once a Sanatorium for people with tuberculosis. It is now a Hotel."  
"Hmmm well at least it wasn;t a sanatarium." Ivy says Guiseppe leans his head back and holds his sides in laughter.  
Ivy's eyes widen as she listens to the eery cacophony.


	6. Chapter 6

Ivy gets the text just as they are pulling into the hotel.  
"They found him. I mean they found THEM...We have got to go now!"  
Ivy bites her lip as the cab does a u turn and heads toward the ferry. "Damn it!" she yells "When is the next ferry?" she asks Guiseppe.  
In ten minutes...We may make it."  
Harley stares out the window in silence as Ivy waves bills in the the air for the taxi driver to drive faster.  
Guiseppe draps his arm around Harley's neck as the cab lurches forward. Harley seems sad. He gently touches her shoulder.  
They arrive to a congested area filled with babbling Italians, cops, ambulances and news reporters. Ivy listens as a anchor-woman announces that the situation is that hostages are being held inside by a unidentified group. Some report the ring leader to be the infamous Joker from Gotham City New York. Roll image. They focus on an image of the Joker. The few who managed to escape said they were able to escape thanks to the aid of Mr. Carmine Falcone who happened to be attending the ballet. Cut. Roll image of the mobster on two. Cut and Switching now to a live interview.  
"and on three" a voice screams. "Rolling. I am here with Mrs. Sophia Moreno. Tell us what happened? How many others are inside?"  
"It was horrible. A man up in the rooftop was laughing hysterically. He looked like a clown a scarey clown from horror movies. He threw these pellets out saying it was laughing gas. We couldn't see or breathe. I got out thanks to Mr. Falcone. He was so nice. He helped us not to panic and made sure woman and children got out unharmed. " Mr. Carmine Falcone from uhhh from Rome?" The woman nods. " There was also a man dressed as a bat and I saw a woman and man dressed up as cats.  
She now starts to laugh insanely.  
"Medics. It appears this woman needs attention. The woman falls on the floor laughing.  
Ivy pulls her group behind the ambulance. "If we want in we need to borrow the medics outfits."  
Harley starts to giggle and opens her backpack and points to the side of a firetruck holding axes, emergency kits and her favorite a huge mallet.  
"Guiseppe you know these streets. You need to be our get away driver."  
"Si signorina!"  
Ivy now looks at Harley. "It's show-time!" They hide behind the farthest news van and change. Harley emerges first sprinting with lightening speed into a full run then places her arms out in front and springs over the top of the news van and flips landing with both feet still in front of the firetruck.  
"That's my girl!" Ivy whipsers admiring her acrobatic skills.  
Harley now is spotted by two local fire-men.  
"Hey. What are you doing?" Harley tilts her jingling head and laughs and laughs. She walks slowly then does a quick no handed cart wheel and stops tilting her hip and shrugging a I don't know gesture and laughs and laughs.  
"Think we got another one Pete on the laughing gas. Yeah. She must an actress from the 's get her !"  
Harley now skips forward as the two run toward her. She springs back over them and grabs the mallet and in an instant wacks them both on their heads. Guiseppe and Ivy help drag the men quickly behind the ambulance and grab their uniforms. Ivy places her hand on her lips then on the men's who are just beginning to come to. They smile up at her. '"Shhhh time for a little nap!" The two men fall into a snoring opens the passenger ambulance door and finds a medic jacket and keys. "Pull the van around back and wait for us."  
Guiseppe nods as the girls head into the building.  
They enter the main lobby filled with smoke. Other firemen in full gear point for them to move toward the doors. They nod and move in.  
Guiseppe panics pacing back and forth in worry. He wrings his hands staring at the back door. No sign of them. He fidgets with the keys. He gets back out and paces. He starts to bite his nails. He jumps with glee as he sees Harley exit the building running holding a helmet in her hand. They run toward eachother and he lifts her up and spins her around hugging her tight.  
Ivy stares at the two smiling. She sees Guiseppe now grab her closer and softly kiss her lips. Harley closes her eyes as he spins her around some more. They start to laugh.  
Ivy stops and whispers "Wow! Wishes do come true in Italy!"  
Wildcat stands still suddenly with palms out growling.  
"Oh no! Wait! That is the Joker's twin. I found him through DNA tests. He was adopted long ago and raised here in Italy. Striking resemblance isn't it?"  
"Scarey if you ask me. But Harley sure seem to like him." He now takes out his phone. "Hey. That reminds me. I gotta call the wife and tell her I am okay. I plan to bring her here. Just the two of us!" as he eyes the two lovebirds getting into the van.  
He laughs and taps on the van while walking away."If that van's a rockin don't come a knock in." and walks away whistling.  
Ivy reflects. She realizes all she ever wanted was for Harley to be free from the Joker. She always wanted for her to be happy. Now it seems the great Sphinx intervened in her selfless wish .  
Ivy shrugs out of the firesuit behind the ambulance and throws on her green sundress and ties her espradrilles up her ankles. She slings her backpack over her shoulder and springs out looking for a cab back to the ferry. She is looking down smiling ear to ear when one of the fireman sees her. He sets down the little girl he was making laugh by swinging her in a circle. He runs after Ivy."Listen, this is going to sound crazy but I have had a crazy day so I figured what the hell. He reaches out his hand to hers. "I'm Frank."  
Ivy shyly barely touches his hand afraid to make him itch. "My name's Ivy."  
"You're not hurt are you" he asks looking at her.  
"Oh no.I am fine."  
"Are you?" she asks shyly.  
"Oh! I am immune to this stuff ! It's like I was made for this job! I have tough skin. It neverburns."  
"Really?" Ivy says raising one brow and pouting her lips. She stares at his handsome face and eyes now his handsome biceps.  
"What about heat rashes or even poisons?"  
The fireman laughs. "Nope! I use an old recipe from my mommah. It is from the old country."  
He pulls out a salve. "The guys at work pick on my for putting it on but see.?" he shows her his firm arms.  
"Not a spot."  
"Wow!" she says as Ivy slowly touches his skin. She waits for him to react to her poison fingers.  
Nothing happens.  
"Uhh if you are not busy now I was wondering if I could buy you a cup of espresso... That is if that is okay with you?"  
"It's okay with me." she says. (I have to be dreaming?) She looks up to the heavens. When he looks up to see what she is looking at she pinches her arm and chuckles. The cute fireman Frank smiles back at her.  
Ivy waves as Guiseppe and Ivy get thrown out of the van by two yelling med techs. Harley's hair is a mess and Guiseppe's face is covered in lipstick. They ask if she wants to grab a cab. Ivy says she will catch up with them at the Hotel Luna later. Harley winks at her as the two slide into the cab.

Now she realizes what is going on. "I am in Italy! The place of Love! " she screams and spins around in her marigold colored sundress.  
The fireman steps back watching the ruby headed goddess spin around and around freely. She looks like a flame flickering in the wind. Never have his eyes seen such a magnificent beauty as she.

She starts to sing with the voice of a siren . He is drawn closer to her. He slowly motions to take her hand. Ivy pauses hesitant to hold a man's hand. She grabs it and and the two stroll slowly through the crowd...  
She sings louder:  
"In Napoli where love is king When boy meets girl here's what they say

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie That's amore When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore."  
Franks smiles "AHHH My favorite by Dean Martin!" He joins her in song.

"Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling And you'll sing "Vita bella"  
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool That's amore When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet You're in love When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not Dreaming signore Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli That's amore

(When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie That's amore When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling And you'll sing "Vita bella"  
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)  
That's amore (When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet You're in love When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not Dreaming signore Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)  
That's amore Lucky fella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)  
That's amore (When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet You're in love When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not Dreaming signore Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)  
That's amore, (amore)  
That's amore

AMORE!"

#############THE END################ 


End file.
